The
Agency of Natural Resources announced Thursday that it's shutting down the
Moretown Landfill. The
decision to deny the operator's application for continued operation comes after
hundreds of odor complaints were filed in the last year and a half. ANR says
Moretown Landfill tried to control odor problems but was unsuccessful in
reducing the number of complaints.

Lawmakers reconvene for the
second half of the legislative session on Tuesday. And, despite
budget woes and federal cuts, some of them are hoping to stay focused on a goal
set at the beginning of the session: fighting climate change and promoting
energy efficiency at the same time.

The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission says the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant did a good job last year in
protecting public health and safety. The nuclear agency released
its annual assessment report on Thursday.

A House committee will hold a
hearing next week on a bill that calls for new protections for the shorelines
of lakes and ponds, including
buffer zones for new development to prevent polluting run-off. But some
property owners are concerned that the bill would infringe on their property
rights.

On
this Town Meeting Day, voters in one Addison County town have reiterated their strong opposition to a
proposed natural gas pipeline, hoping to boost their voice as the Vermont Gas
Company seeks permission from the state to expand its service south.

Vermont
Gas has changed the route of the proposed extension of its natural gas pipeline
through Addison County. The
company filed a petition last year for a state permit to build a 42-mile
pipeline from Colchester to Middlebury.

When the grey clouds are looming and icicles
hang down from the eaves, it's nice to have a green plant on your windowsill. We'll learn how to grow
salad greens indoors, and how to keep your potted plants thriving.

A Shaftsbury-based waste hauler
has won state approval for a commercial composting operation in Bennington. Trevor Mance, the owner of TAM
Waste Management, says the Act 250 permit granted last week was the last
regulatory hurdle for the project.

Senators have removed a
proposed moratorium from legislation regulating large-scale wind projects. But the bill would now
require that wind developments be judged under the full criteria of Act 250. Both sides of the wind debate
are disappointed in the latest version.

The head of a regional oil pipeline
company says he's looking for new projects, including using the line to carry
controversial tar sands oil across northern New England.
The Legislature is reviewing
the pipeline issue amid national protests against a project that would carry tar
sands oil from western Canada to the Gulf
of Mexico.